WMATA Oversight Responses - Council of the District of Columbia

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OFFICE OF MURIEL BOWSER
COUNCILMEMBER, WARD 4
CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
February 19, 2014
Richard Sarles
General Manager & CEO
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
600 5th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Dear Mr. Sarles:
The annual performance hearing for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
(WMATA) will soon be scheduled for a date in February or early March of 2014. The
Committee will notify your agency as soon as a date and time has been set.
In order to gain further knowledge about the workings of WMATA and prepare for WMATA’s
hearing, I hereby submit to you a list of questions regarding the performance of WMATA. So
that I may make effective use of your responses, I request that you answer these questions and
return your written responses to my office as soon as possible. Please provide four hard-copies
of your responses as well as an electronic version in Microsoft Word (or other format where
specified in a question).
It is also likely that I will send you follow-up questions prior to the hearing based on your
responses to this initial set of questions.
If you feel that I could use additional information outside the scope of the attached questions,
please feel free to include an additional written statement. If your office requires clarification of
any of the attached questions, please contact The Committee’s Legislative Counsel, Judah
Gluckman, at (202) 724-8025 or jgluckman@dccouncil.us. Thank you in advance for your timely
and comprehensive response.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bowser
Councilmember Ward 4
Chairperson, Committee on Economic Development
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W.  SUITE 110
 WASHINGTON, DC 20004 
TELEPHONE: (202) 724-8025  FAX: (202) 741-0908
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Performance Oversight Questions
I.
Agency Organization
1. Please provide a complete, up-to-date organizational chart for each division within
WMATA including, either attached or separately, an explanation of the roles and
responsibilities for each division and subdivision.
Answer:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/docs/FY2014%20Proposed%20Annual%20Bud
get%20updated%20011113.pdf
2
II.
Human Resources
2. Please provide a complete, up-to-date position listing for WMATA in Excel
spreadsheet format, which includes the following information:
 Title of position
 Name of employee or statement that the position is vacant, unfunded, or
proposed.
 For each vacant position, how long has it been vacant and what is the status to
fill the position.
 Date employee began in position
 Salary and fringe, including the specific grade, series, and step of position
 Job status (continuing/term/temporary/contract)
Answer: Please see Attachment #2
3. What is the current vacancy rate and turnover rate?
Answer:
Current Vacancy rate = 6.4%
Turnover Rate = 6.55%
4. What number and percent of your employees are District residents? What number
and percent of new hires in FY’13 and FY’14 to date are District residents?
Answer: DC Residents = 12.7%
Fiscal Year
FY 2013
FY 2014
DC Resident
181
115
Total
Hires
% DC
Residents
1,425
12.70%
841
13.67%
5. How many individuals have been interviewed and/or hired by WMATA as a result of
the partnership with the DC Office of Employment Services (DOES) in FY’13, FY’14
to date, and total to date since the program’s inception?
Answer:
FY 2013 = 5
FY 2014 = 1
Total DOES hires since inception = 7
3
6. How many WMATA employees and contractors were dismissed from their positions
as a result of the November 2011 change to the criminal background check policy?
Answer: Contractors: MetroAccess contractors are not employees of Metro but are
rather the employees of the company contracted to provide services. Therefore,
Metro does not make employment decisions on their behalf. Since the inception of
the new MetroAccess contract on January 1, 2013, there have been 79 individuals
evaluated and determined to be ineligible to provide MetroAccess services.
Employees: No employees have been dismissed as a result of the change in the
background screening policy. There have been 5 employees terminated for various
other rules violations that were denied reinstatement based on background
screening results. There were 2 employees who were terminated for failure to
disclose their prior criminal convictions as was required under historical policy.
7. What percentage of employees at WMATA are returning citizens with a criminal
record of any kind?
Answer: We do not track this data.
8. What special efforts, if any, does WMATA employ to hire returning citizens with
criminal records?
Answer: WMATA has no programs in place to specifically identify and recruit
individuals with a criminal history. WMATA utilizes approved hiring standards and
evaluates each applicant independently based on those guidelines.
9. How many instances of fraud, waste, abuse, criminal wrong-doing, accidents or
injuries have been caused by WMATA employees with a criminal record since
FY’10? What percentage of the total number of such instances caused by WMATA
employees does that account for?
Answer: We do not track this data.
4
10. Please provide the overtime budget and actual expenditures, by division and
Authority-wide, for FY’13 and FY’14 to date.
Answer:
FY2013 Overtime By Department
In Thousands
CEO
CHOS
CPO
OIG
COUN
SECT
DGMO
TIES
RAIL
BUS
CFO
ACCS
CIO
MTPD
SAFE
HR
CSCM
Total
Budget
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$85
$8,744
$15,276
$29,235
$423
$20
$322
$4,501
$0
$110
$534
$59,250
Actual
$0
$1
$0
$0
$3
$0
$69
$18,617
$22,856
$31,315
$712
$17
$725
$5,080
$8
$208
$282
$79,894
5
Variance
$0
($1)
$0
$0
($3)
$0
$16
($9,873)
($7,580)
($2,080)
($289)
$3
($403)
($579)
($8)
($98)
$252
($20,644)
FY2014 (YTD) Overtime By Department
In Thousands
CEO
CHOS
CPO
OIG
COUN
SECT
DGMO
TIES
RAIL
BUS
CFO
ACCS
CIO
MTPD
SAFE
HR
CSCM
Total
Budget
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$96
$4,578
$7,756
$14,663
$172
$10
$154
$2,693
$0
$81
$267
$30,469
Actual
$0
$0
$0
$0
$2
$0
$111
$7,162
$11,547
$19,007
$243
$6
$476
$2,558
$5
$131
$56
$41,306
Variance
$0
($0)
$0
$0
($2)
$0
($15)
($2,585)
($3,792)
($4,344)
($71)
$4
($323)
$135
($5)
($51)
$211
($10,838)
11. What efforts is WMATA taking to reduce overtime and “right-size” the budget?
Answer: WMATA has made significant strides in reducing OT in FY2014. The
Operations areas instituted strict guidelines on the use of overtime in FY14 that has
resulted in favorability in overtime in both September and October for the first time in
2 years. In the past three fiscal years (FY11 - FY13) overtime expenses have
exceeded overtime budget by 65 percent, 48 percent, and 35 percent respectively.
While we continue our efforts to reduce overtime expenditures, we are also working
to curtail the amount by which we exceed our overtime budget. FY15 overtime
provides a realistic overtime budget, given actual trends in overtime expenditures.
6
III.
Budget
12. Please provide a chart showing WMATA’s approved operating and capital budgets
and actual expenditures for each fiscal year between FY’05 and FY’14.
Answer:
Fiscal Year Comparison of
Budget Versus Actual
1,800
1,600
1,400
Dollars
in Millions
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
-
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Operating Budget
941
1,014
1,105
1,154
1,329
1,374
1,464
1,465
1,576
1,655
Actual
957
1,049
1,111
1,168
1,347
1,377
1,418
1,435
1,526
13. Please describe any significant variance between fiscal year appropriations and
actual expenditures for FY’13 and FY’14, to date.
Answer: FY2013
FY2013 total operating expenses were $1,525.6 million, $50.5 million or 3.2 percent
less than the $1,576.1 million budget.
Non-Labor Expenses
Total non-labor expenses were under budget by $5.0 million or 1.1 percent through
the end of the fiscal year. Fuel, propulsion and utilities were under budget by $22.3
million mainly due to $8.7 million in savings from lower than budgeted diesel,
propulsion and utility rates (rates secured with favorable hedges and fixed price
contracts), $7.8 million related to lower than budgeted volume of usage, and $5.8
million in CNG tax credits, savings on lubricants, and other items. Part of this
favorable result was offset by materials and supplies, which was over budget by
$27.1 million due to higher than budgeted bus and railcar maintenance expenses.
7
The inventory and warehousing functions have recently been re-organized and a
new focus has been placed on inventory levels, commodity purchases, and more
effective inventory planning. This past year Metro was successful in keeping part
stock outages down to acceptable levels compared to the prior year and in
maintaining the availability of parts for maintenance. In FY2014, Metro will focus on
the planning and management of parts and inventory levels to be more effective and
efficient.
Services were under budget by $11.4 million mainly due to lower than projected
utilization of paratransit services ($7.8 million or 7.6 percent under budget) and other
service contracts. Metro’s enhanced travel training and conditional eligibility
programs have successfully met the needs of the business. This next year the focus
will be placed on maintaining an accessible system and, through the new business
model, providing paratransit services in an even more effective and efficient manner.
FY2014 YTD (Through 2nd Quarter)
Second quarter operating expenses were under budget by $5.8 million or 1.4
percent, and year-to-date operating expenses are under budget by $14.2 million or
1.7 percent. Services were favorable by $4.4 million in the second quarter and $13.0
million year-to-date as a result of timing of various job order contracts, lower
SmarTrip® expenses (due to the favorable resolution of a contract closeout), and
other service contracts. MetroAccess contract expenses are also below budget due
to one-time cost savings related to the transition to the new MetroAccess service
model. These savings are being partially offset, however, by increased MetroAccess
ridership. Metro has also locked in half of its diesel fuel budget and the entire
propulsion budget through favorable hedges and fixed price contracts. As a result of
these activities and lower usage, expenses in Fuel, Propulsion, and Utilities were
favorable by $6.7 million in the second quarter and $10.8 million year-to-date. Yearto-date favorability includes an $800,000 CNG tax credit variance to budget.
Continued targeted investment in railcar maintenance (primarily in preparation for
the Silver Line) and bus maintenance (in part due to vandalism and accidents) has
led to above-budget expenses in Materials and Supplies. However, this variance has
been partially offset by the timing of other expenses including special purpose
training materials, safety materials, and printing of bus schedules. Materials and
Supplies were over budget by $4.1 million in the second quarter and by $5.9 million
year-to-date. Management will continue to monitor these expenses and has
recommended adjustments in the FY2015 Proposed budget to align the budget with
current experience.
Personnel expenses were $2.3 million over budget in the second quarter and $5.7
million year-to-date. Focused efforts to control overtime continue to yield results:
year-to-date overtime expenses are $1.3 million lower than during the same period
last year. However, second quarter overtime expenses were $3.5 million above
budget and $0.5 million higher than the same period last year. The second quarter
budget overage was mainly due to spending in December, which included $1.4
8
million for snow removal and repair of a broken rail and $0.3 million of retroactive
overtime payments. Overtime expenses have been partially offset by savings in
salaries and wages, which are $6.7 million under budget year-to-date, primarily due
to vacancies. However, new wage rates and retroactive payments for employees
represented by Local 689, Local 922, and Local 2 have reduced the overall
favorability in salaries and wages. Metro is developing a forecast to manage
overtime in the second half of FY2014 that will be based on 1) attrition and hiring
rates and 2) the implementation of fatigue management strategies.
9
IV.
Contracting and Procurement
14. Please list, in Excel spreadsheet format, each contract, procurement, lease, and
grant (“contract”) awarded, entered into, extended and option years exercised, by
WMATA during FY’13 and FY’14, to date. For each contract, please provide the
following information, where applicable:
 The name of the contracting party;
 The nature of the contract, including the end product or service;
 The dollar amount of the contract, including budgeted amount and actually spent;
 The term of the contract;
 Whether the contract was competitively bid or not;
 The name of WMATA’s contract monitor and the results of any monitoring
activity; and
 Funding source.
Answer: http://www.wmata.com/business/procurement_and_contracting/
15. Please describe the steps taken by WMATA to provide oversight and management
for contracts. Specifically, how does WMATA ensure that its programmatic needs
are being met, contracting actions are standardized across various programs, and
efficiency and savings are maximized?
Answer: All contracts are assigned a Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative
(COTR) and also a Contract Administrator. The COTR is the program staff
responsible in ensuring that all deliverables are met and received as specified in the
contract. The Contract Administrator is responsible for overall contract management
to ensure that there are not deviations by the program in the execution of the
contract’s scope of work. This cross functional team of staff is tasked with oversight
and management for contracts to make sure efficiencies and cost savings are
realized.
Programmatic needs are met by strategically planning operational needs through the
Budget process. Once the budget has been decided and approved by the Board, the
Office of Procurement can commence with the solicitation actions required to obtain
the goods and services as defined by the program in the budget process.
The Office of Procurement has a defined Procurement Procedure Manual that
provides rules, regulations and guidelines for all procurement actions and how said
actions are to be executed. These are standardized procedures that are applied to
all programs across the Authority. There is no variation on the execution of the
solicitation process from a procurement perspective.
10
16. Describe the methods used by WMATA to increase contracting with local, small, and
disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE’s).
Answer: WMATA has established three (3) socio-economic programs to increase
contracting with and procurement from local, small and disadvantaged business
enterprises. They are: (1) the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program;
(2) the Small Business Enterprise (SBE) component of the DBE program; and (3)
the Small Business and Local Preference Program (SBLPP).
a. The DBE program was established pursuant to 49 CRF Part 26.
b. Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 26.39, WMATA as a recipient of Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) funds was required to include in its DBE program an
element to structure contracting requirements to facilitate competition by
small business. WMATA drafted a policy and procedure to carry out this
function. On January 15, 2013, WMATA resubmitted this policy to DOT Office
of Civil Rights for approval. The plan was approved by DOT.
c. WMATA, pursuant to Resolution 2003-29, established a Small & Local
Business Preference Program to allow for a local geographic preference for
non-federally funded simplified acquisitions with a dollar threshold of
$150,000 or less. The resolution also set forth the procedure to be followed
for giving a 5% preference to small and local businesses in the District of
Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Pursuant to 49 CFR Part 26, in section 2 F of its program for the fostering small
business participation, WMATA stated that it would implement the following small
business development methods:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identification of Subcontracting Possibilities on Large Contracts
Contract Unbundling
Race Neutral Means
Outreach Programs
Technical Training
With respect to the SBLPP program, WMATA has the following small business
development methods:
Sourcing Small Local Businesses:
1) Upon receipt of a purchase request that falls within the simplified acquisition
threshold, the Buyer is required to determine whether adequate competition
exists for the supplies or services from among at least three small local
business on the Small Business List.
11
2) Quotes must first be solicited from a minimum of three (3) small local
businesses. If quotes from three (3) small businesses cannot be obtained,
and if additional competition is required to obtain three (3) quotes, then large
local businesses may be solicited for quotes. If no large local businesses
provide quotes, then vendors outside the District of Columbia, Maryland, or
Virginia area may be solicited to ensure adequate competition.
Evaluation of Prices:
1) A five percent analysis factor is added to the price quote from all large local
businesses competing against a small local business, whether evaluated by
line item or on the total value of the procurement.
2) Fair and reasonable price determinations will be made inclusive of the five (5)
percent analysis factor, if applicable.
3) In the case of tie bids between a small local business and a large business
(whether the large business is local or outside the local area), award will go to
the small local business.
Outreach:
WMATA conducts outreach programs and meets with the owners of small local
businesses to introduce them to available contracting opportunities.
17. What percentage of contracts and contracting budget were awarded to DBE’s in
FY’13 and FY’14 to date?
Answer: FY’13 33.19% $18,779,982
FY’14 28.86% $13,173,694
18. What is the status of the procurement of the New Electronic Payment Program
(NEPP) including the schedule for start and completion of the pilot program and
system-wide rollout?
Answer: Procurement Awarded on January 8, 2014 with Notice to Proceed (NTP)
for the Pilot Program issued on February 3, 2014.
The start of the Pilot Program was February 3, 2014. The Pilot planning is
underway, with the entire Pilot period to be completed by mid-year 2015.
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V.
Audits, Reports and Lawsuits
19. Please list and describe any ongoing or completed investigations, studies, audits, or
reports on WMATA or any employee of WMATA during FY’13 or FY’14 to date.
Answer: The links listed below will provide access to WMATA studies and reports:
http://www.wmata.com/aboutmetro/publicrecords
http://www.wmata.com/aboutmetro/planninganddevelopment
http://www.PlanItMetro.com
http://www.metrobus-studies.com/
20. Please list and briefly describe any pending lawsuits involving WMATA.
Answer: We do not comment publicly on any pending lawsuits.
13
VI.
Agency Programs and Policies
21. Please describe any initiatives WMATA implemented within FY’13 or FY’14, to date,
to improve the internal operation of WMATA, reduce waste, fraud and abuse, or the
interaction of WMATA with outside parties. Please describe the results, or expected
results, of each initiative.
Answer:
The Metroconnect initiative is an upgrade of existing PeopleSoft Human Capital
Management (HCM) functionality from version 8.8 to 9.1, including Payroll, Time &
Labor and Absence Management. The new version will record all time worked and
absence hours, resulting in an automated calculation of daily hours to pay from
programmed rules applied to punch time. It will also eliminate manual methods of
time tracking, allow for more accurate paid time, reduce prior pay adjustments, and
centralize access work time and hours paid in one system, as well as support
WMATA’s fatigue and overtime tracking initiatives.
The “Invoice Imaging” initiative is the use of scanning technology for invoice filing
and maintenance. This FY14 initiative will reduce document-related costs; increase
staff productivity; reduce staff time spent copying, reproducing and distributing
invoices; help eliminate lost documents; and allow for immediate access to
documents electronically.
The “Invoice to Pay” business to business efficiency initiative will streamline and
centralize the vendor invoice receiving and distribution process by digitizing data
collection of all invoices in a timely manner. This will result in improved staff
productivity, greater audit efficiency, lower overhead costs and improved internal
controls.
During FY13, WMATA’s Office of Accounting took the initiative of changing the
frequency of preparation and review of the Financial Statements and the Schedule
of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA). These two documents are now prepared
quarterly instead of the one annual submission. The change has elevated the level
of analysis; early detection of adverse trends in financial data and their correction;
minimizing reporting time, and; institution of progressive improvements in data
extraction and its organization within the reports.
Epay statements were rolled out to all non-represented employees in FY13. This
initiative eliminated paper pay stubs and improved the accuracy of time capture.
Garnishments and payroll taxes were outsourced in FY13. As a result, payroll staff
has more time to support other initiatives, including the HCM implementation. This
initiative reduced the number of A/P vouchers and wires from 4 to 1 per week, while
also eliminating the internal process of all quarterly payroll tax return filings. It should
eventually result in online W-2 forms.
14
On-going fixed assets internal controls initiatives: 1) Process improvements in timely
reporting of Federally-funded assets (equipment, property) disposal. 2) Deloitte Financial
Advisory Services conducted an internal controls analysis of the asset management and
financial accounting life cycle processes during FY14. As a result of this review, several
recommendations were made and a corrective action plan (CAP) was put into place. This
CAP, once fully implemented, will result in enhanced internal controls, greater accuracy and
increased operational efficiency.
22. Please identify all statutory or regulatory requirements that WMATA lacks sufficient
resources to implement properly or that pose an impediment to WMATA’s operations
in FY’13 or FY’14 to date.
Answer: There are no statutory or regulatory impediments to WMATA’s operations.
23. What has WMATA done in the past year to make the activities of WMATA more
transparent to the public? In addition, please identify ways in which the activities of
WMATA and information retained by WMATA could be made more transparent.
Answer: WMATA established a comprehensive quarterly performance report called
Vital Signs, which is available to the public and published online along with a
Scorecard. There is also a cumulative annual report which makes the agency’s
performance transparent. Furthermore, WMATA provides a frequently updated
library of all public board presentations on its website.
15
VII.
Metrorail
24. Please provide the current status of construction on the Phase I of the Dulles Silver
Line, including the expected completion dates for construction and the start of
revenue service.
Answer: The construction of Phase 1 of the Silver Line is being funded and
managed by the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority (MWAA). They have
contracted with Dulles Transit Partners (DTP) to construct the extension. The status
of this construction could be more accurately answered by MWAA because at this
stage WMATA is only monitoring the progress.
Based on the most recent information presented to WMATA by MWAA, the following
is a status of the construction:
• Design:
100%
• Construction:
99%
• Systems:
99%
• Key Dates:
o Cutover with the K-Line: completed
o Scheduled Substantial Completion Date (SSCD): MWAA’s
Contractor (DTP) expected to submit their request for SSCD
sometime in February 2014.
o Operational Readiness Date (ORD): after SSCD WMATA will
determine if the Silver Line is ready for operations and determine
the ORD.
o WMATA Acceptance: As per the Cooperative Agreement between
WMATA and MWAA, the Project Acceptance is scheduled 90 days
after ORD.
16
25. What has WMATA done to fix and prevent malfunctioning railcar doors? Please
provide any metrics that are used to track this issue and results of such metrics.
Answer:
Door Improvement Campaigns
Description
Door Close Summary and
Zero Speed Relay
Replacement
Software Update
Brake Unit Modification /
Shim
Brake Unit Gap Setting
Spindle / Spindle Nut
Testing
Troubleshooting Procedure
Inspection and
Maintenance Procedure
Brake Gap Setting
Procedure
Backlash Criteria
2K3K
Document
%
Compl.
6K
Document
%
Compl.
EMI-180424
100%
EMI-150118
100%
EMI-180418 Rev. 01
100%
EMI-150121
100%
EMI-180427 Rev. 01
100%
EMI-150119
100%
EMI-180406
100%
EMI-150113
100%
ETP-180324
100%
N/A
N/A
MSI-180241
100%
MSI-150055
100%
MSI-180238
100%
MSI-150053
100%
MSI-180324
100%
MSI-150050
100%
MSI-180232
100%
N/A
N/A
4000 Series Door Campaigns
Side Door Motor Isolation
EMI-170124 Rev. 01
5000 Series Door Campaigns
LDCU and GDP Replacement
EMI-160208
(only spares have open work orders)
100% Complete
100%Complete
26. What is the status of procurement for the 7000 series rail cars? When does WMATA
expect delivery and revenue service of the cars? How will they be assigned across
the various rail lines? What existing rails cars will they replace? Will there be a net
increase in the fleet, and how does the 7000 series generally fit with the overall
goals of WMATA railcar fleet management plan?
Answer: Update was provided to the board during the October 10th 2013 Customer
Service and Operations Committee briefing. Copy of presentation can be found
here.
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/board_docs/101013_4A700
0Railcars.pdf.
17
27. How many incidents occurred in FY’13 and FY’14 to date that required unscheduled
track work, single tracking or other major service disruptions on Metrorail? Please
provide by line and time of day (peak vs. off-peak) and briefly describe the cause
and time it took to return to normal service.
Answer: http://www.wmata.com/rail/service_reports/viewReportArchive.cfm
28. How many escalator and elevator rehabilitations and replacements were completed
in FY’13 and FY’14 to date? Please list them.
Answer:
FY13: 33 Escalator Rehabs:
OOS
RETURN TO
UNIT #
DATE
SERVICE
EASTERN MARKET
D06X05
04/21/12
07/03/12
ROSSLYN
C05X05
04/05/12
07/13/12
GALLERY PLACE
B01W03
03/27/12
07/25/12
PENTAGON
C07N10
05/15/12
08/03/12
L'ENFANT PLAZA
D03W04
03/30/12
08/24/12
METRO CENTER
C01S04
05/01/12
08/24/12
POTOMAC AVENUE
D07X05
05/07/12
09/05/12
METRO CENTER
A01W06
05/09/12
09/07/12
JUDICIARY SQUARE
B02S06
05/30/12
10/04/12
ROSSLYN
C05X07
07/16/12
10/05/12
L'ENFANT PLAZA
F03N06
07/09/12
10/22/12
PENTAGON CITY
C08X08
07/09/12
10/12/12
GALLERY PLACE
B01W05
07/31/12
11/06/12
PENTAGON
C07S12
08/07/12
10/18/12
L'ENFANT PLAZA
D03W06
08/24/12
12/07/12
METRO CENTER
C01S06
09/05/12
12/11/12
PENTAGON CITY
C08X07
10/12/12
12/22/12
POTOMAC AVENUE
D07X06
09/05/12
01/04/13
METRO CENTER
A01W04
09/13/12
01/14/13
ROSSLYN
C05X06
10/01/12
01/14/13
JUDICIARY SQUARE
B02S04
10/16/12
01/16/13
L'ENFANT PLAZA
F03N04
10/22/12
01/18/13
PENTAGON
C07N11
10/22/12
01/30/13
GALLERY PLACE
B01W04
11/15/12
02/15/13
L'ENFANT PLAZA
D03W05
12/12/12
03/30/13
PENTAGON CITY
C08X06
01/02/13
04/03/13
DUPONT CIRCLE
A03N03
11/13/12
05/31/13
STATION NAME
18
DUPONT CIRCLE
A03N06
01/22/13
04/30/13
L'ENFANT PLAZA
F03N05
01/22/13
04/04/13
STADIUM-ARMORY
D08S04
01/23/13
05/07/13
METRO CENTER
01/24/13
04/29/13
MCPHERSON SQUARE
A01E06
C02E05
02/08/13
05/28/13
FARRAGUT NORTH
A02W05
02/20/13
05/24/13
FY13: 3 Escalator Replacements:
DUPONT CIRCLE
A03S01
02/01/12
10/20/12
DUPONT CIRCLE
A03S02
02/01/12
10/20/12
DUPONT CIRCLE
A03S03
02/01/12
10/20/12
FY14: 14 Escalator Rehabs to date:
OOS
RETURN TO
STATION NAME
UNIT #
DATE
SERVICE
FARRAGUT NORTH
A02E04
12/23/12
08/23/13
NATIONAL AIRPORT
C10N04
02/05/13
08/08/13
NATIONAL AIRPORT
C10N02
02/06/13
08/08/13
PENTAGON CITY
C08X09
04/03/13
07/03/13
L'ENFANT PLAZA
F03N08
04/04/13
07/04/13
L'ENFANT PLAZA
D03W07
04/24/13
08/01/13
STADIUM-ARMORY
D08S03
05/14/13
08/20/13
MCPHERSON SQUARE
C02W07
06/04/13
09/05/13
L'ENFANT PLAZA
F03N09
07/08/13
10/02/13
PENTAGON CITY
C08X10
08/15/13
11/14/13
L'ENFANT PLAZA
D03W09
08/06/13
11/21/13
DUPONT CIRCLE
A03N02
06/03/13
12/05/13
L'ENFANT PLAZA
F03N07
10/07/13
01/02/14
MCPHERSON SQUARE
C02W04
09/10/13
01/14/14
FY14: 3 Replacements to date:
PENTAGON
C07S07
02/04/13
10/11/13
PENTAGON
C07S08
02/04/13
10/11/13
PENTAGON
C07S09
02/04/13
10/11/13
19
FY13: 11 Elevator Rehabs:
STATION NAME
CAPITOL SOUTH
CAPITOL SOUTH
BETHESDA
BETHESDA
GALLERY PLACE
EASTERN MARKET
VAN NESS
L'ENFANT PLAZA
L'ENFANT PLAZA
L'ENFANT PLAZA
VAN NESS
UNIT #
OOS
DATE
RETURN TO
SERVICE
D05X01
D05X02
A09X01
A09X02
B01E02
D06X01
A06X01
F03N01
F03N02
F03N03
A06X02
06/26/12
06/27/12
06/04/12
08/14/12
11/13/12
12/10/12
01/30/13
02/21/13
02/21/13
02/21/13
03/27/13
10/27/12
10/27/12
01/02/13
01/02/13
06/21/13
03/04/13
06/28/13
06/18/13
06/18/13
06/18/13
06/28/13
FY14: 9 Elevator Rehabs to date:
GALLERY PLACE
FARRAGUT NORTH
FARRAGUT NORTH
STADIUM-ARMORY
STADIUM-ARMORY
McPHERSON SQUARE
CRYSTAL CITY
SMITHSONIAN
SMITHSONIAN
B01E04
A02S01
A02S02
D08S01
D08S02
C02E01
C09X01
D02S01
D02S02
03/01/13
04/10/13
04/10/13
06/19/13
06/19/13
07/16/13
07/30/13
10/09/13
10/09/13
07/18/13
08/09/13
08/09/13
10/09/13
10/09/13
10/24/13
11/15/13
01/31/14
01/31/14
29. Please list the ten worst performing escalators and elevators at stations in the
District in FY’13 and FY’14 to date.
Answer:
10 Worst Performing Escalators FY13:
Station Name
Escalator Asset
Location
Archives
F02X03
Gallery Place
B01E06
Woodley Park
A04X06
Street to Mezzanine
Mezzanine to Red Line
Platform
Upper Mezzanine to Lower
Mezzanine
Dupont Circle
Georgia
A03N05
E05X06
Mezzanine to Platform
Mezzanine to Platform
20
Reason/Means to Address
Scheduled for replacement or
rehabilitation in 2017
Issues related to comb impact switch
activations. Repairs completed
Scheduled for replacement in 2016
Issues related to long-term glass
replacement. Repairs completed
Scheduled for replacement in 2014
Avenue
Friendship
Heights
Metro Center
Federal Center
StadiumArmory
Waterfront
SEU
A08N05
C01N01
D04X01
Upper Mezzanine to Lower
Mezzanine
Street to Mezzanine
Street to Mezzanine
Scheduled for replacement in 2015
Scheduled for replacement in 2014
To be rehabilitated under future contract
D08S02
Street to Mezzanine
Scheduled for replacement in 2017
F04X03
Street to Mezzanine
Scheduled for replacement in 2016
10 Worst Performing Escalators FY14:
Station Name
Smithsonian
Gallery Place
L'Enfant Plaza
L'Enfant Plaza
Eastern Market
Van Ness
L'Enfant Plaza
Farragut West
Columbia
Heights
Federal Center
SW
Escalator
Asset
D02N05
F01N08
F03N06
D03W03
D06X03
A06X03
D03W04
C03W02
Location
Mezzanine to Platform
Lower Mezzanine to Y/G
Platform
Mezzanine to Y/G Platform
Street to Mezzanine
Street to Mezzanine
Street to Upper Mezzanine
Y/G Platform to B/O Platform
Street to Mezzanine
Reason/Means to Address
Scheduled for rehabilitation in 2014
Issues related to comb impact switch
activations. Repairs completed
Rehabilitated in FY13
To be rehabilitated under future contract
Scheduled for replacement in 2020
Scheduled for replacement in 2014
Rehabilitated in FY13
To be rehabilitated under future contract
E04X05
Street to Mezzanine
Scheduled for replacement in 2015
D04X02
Street to Mezzanine
To be rehabilitated under future contract
10 Worst Performing Elevators FY13
Station Name
Elevator Asset
Location
Benning Road
G01X01
Deanwood
D10X02
Brookland
Gallery Place
Woodley Park
B05X02
B01E01
A04X01
Dupont Circle
Mt. Vernon
Square
A03N02
Street to Mezzanine
Mezzanine to
Platform
Mezzanine to
Platform
Street to Mezzanine
Street to Mezzanine
Mezzanine to
Platform
Archives
F02X02
E01X03
Street to Mezzanine
Mezzanine to
Platform
21
Reason/Means to Address
Issues related to door adjustments. Repairs
completed
Issues related to door adjustments. Repairs
completed
Operated at 92.64% availability
Scheduled for rehabilitation
Operated at 94.28% availability
Operated at 94.33% availability
Operated at 96% availability
Operated at 96.58% availability
Takoma
Congress
Heights
B07X01
Street to Platform
Operated at 96.63% availability
F07X01
Street to Mezzanine
Operated at 97.28% availability
10 Worst Performing Elevators FY14
Station Name
Elevator Asset
Van Ness
A06X02
Waterfront
F04X02
Location
Mezzanine to
Platform
Mezzanine to
Platform
Tenleytown
A07X01
Street to Platform
Gallery Place
B01E01
Anacostia
Dupont Circle
Eastern Market
L'Enfant Plaza
Rhode Island
Ave
Mt. Vernon
Square
F06S01
A03N01
D06X01
F03N01
B04X01
Street to Mezzanine
Mezzanine to
Platform
Street to Mezzanine
Street to Mezzanine
Street to Mezzanine
Mezzanine to
Platform
E01X03
Street to Mezzanine
Reason/Means to Address
Unit was out of service due to ongoing inspection
issues. Item has been resolved.
Door operator replacement completed
Issues related to door adjustments. Repairs
completed
Scheduled for rehabilitation under Red Line
Contract
Operated at 93.14% availability
Operated at 95.47% availability
Out of service for warranty repair
Out of service for rehabilitation
Operated at 96.71% availability
Operated at 97.02% availability
30. What steps has WMATA taken in FY’13 and FY’14 to date to improve escalator and
elevator availability?
Answer:
See Vital Signs Reports
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/docs/Vital_Signs_May_2013(Q1).pdf
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/docs/Vital_Signs_Q2_2013.pdf
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/docs/Vital_Signs_Q3_2013.pdf
31. How many station renovations were completed in FY’13 and FY’14 to date? Please
list them.
Answer: We completed station renovation work five (5) aboveground stations
(Silver Spring, Takoma, Fort Totten, Brookland and Rhode Island) and six (6) below
ground stations (Union Station, Judiciary Square, Gallery Place, Metro Center,
Farragut North and DuPont Circle) in FY13 and FY14.
22
The extent of renovation work for the above ground stations was platform repairs,
skylights, kiosks, signs (Takoma Station), electrical and mechanical upgrades, and
public address system upgrades. The extent of renovations for the below ground
stations was kiosks, signs (Farragut and DuPont), CCTV upgrades, new ceiling tile,
electrical and mechanical upgrades, elevator and escalator rehabilitations.
We also installed a new set of mezzanine-to-platform stairs at Bethesda Station and
elevator rehabs at Bethesda, Van Ness and Cleveland Park Stations.
32. Please provide monthly ridership by line for FY’13 and FY’14 to date and any causes
WMATA attributes for the trends in this data.
Answer:
Monthly
Rail
Ridership
by Line
FY2013
Blue
Green
Orange
Red
Yellow
Total
201207
3,058,894
3,062,183
4,511,987
6,520,160
1,756,960
18,910,184
201208
2,904,504
3,013,383
4,267,751
6,328,794
1,675,674
18,190,106
201209
2,590,607
2,813,197
3,845,273
5,833,455
1,512,205
16,594,737
201210
2,758,279
2,820,498
4,071,134
6,115,814
1,601,146
17,366,871
201211
2,505,453
2,603,631
3,686,943
5,867,806
1,484,352
16,148,185
201212
2,286,945
2,373,177
3,343,073
5,266,930
1,351,598
14,621,723
201301
2,676,807
2,779,148
4,014,349
6,266,936
1,586,994
17,324,234
201302
2,358,515
2,564,893
3,594,594
5,732,765
1,449,601
15,700,368
201303
2,805,177
2,862,521
4,160,226
6,371,683
1,659,527
17,859,134
201304
3,116,410
3,208,731
4,658,696
6,935,624
1,789,054
19,708,515
201305
2,900,781
3,045,232
4,233,129
6,586,091
1,697,063
18,462,296
201306
2,863,297
2,915,767
4,252,434
6,270,882
1,638,626
17,941,006
FY2014
Blue
Green
Orange
Red
Yellow
Total
201307
3,123,730
3,201,917
4,598,197
6,718,769
1,791,612
19,434,225
201308
201309
2,855,840
2,969,183
4,201,596
6,289,460
1,635,288
17,951,367
23
2,603,551
2,798,031
3,880,442
6,052,363
1,516,496
16,850,883
201310
2,660,733
2,729,761
3,917,647
6,266,733
1,575,355
17,150,229
201311
2,368,296
2,523,495
3,523,175
5,735,901
1,418,375
15,569,242
201312
2,229,849
2,392,860
3,263,939
5,339,125
1,350,823
14,576,596
33. Please provide monthly on-time performance data by line for FY’13 and FY’14 to
date and any causes WMATA attributes for the trends in this data.
Answer: WMATA regularly publishes quarterly and annual performance reports,
called Vital Signs, which track multiple Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). One of
these KPIs is Rail On-Time Performance, which is tracked on a monthly basis, by
line. This information can be found on the Metro Scorecard webpage at:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/scorecard/. The most recent Vital Signs report
can be found at:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/scorecard/documents/Vital_Signs_Q3_2013.pdf
The 2013 Annual Vital Signs will be presented to the Board of Directors and
available publicly February 27, 2014.
24
VIII.
Metrobus
34. Please provide a list of bus service improvements made in the District for FY’13 and
FY’14 to date, including specific actions taken to implement bus Priority Corridor
Networks (PCNs).
Answer:
30’s Pennsylvania Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue Lines
• Added extra hours of morning and evening service on Metro Extra Limited
Stop routes 37 Wisconsin Avenue Limited and 39 Pennsylvania Avenue
Limited.
• Added trips on Route 32, 36 Pennsylvania Avenue to reduce crowding and
improve on-time performance on weekdays, and on Saturday and Sunday
early mornings and evenings.
• Converted Route 32, 36 to Headway Management for better performance and
less bus bunching.
50’s 14th Street Line
• Added trips to reduce crowding and improve on-time performance on
Saturdays.
• Implemented headway management on Saturdays between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
S2, 4, S9 16th Street Lines
• To reduce crowding and improve on-time performance on this heavily used
line:
• Changed the S4 terminal location and added 60-foot coaches on some S1
trips for more capacity.
• Increased weekday southbound service on routes S2, S4 to every 15 minutes
from 7 to 10 PM.
• Added S9 Limited trips every 15 minutes on weekdays between 7 p.m. and
9:30 p.m.
• Implemented headway service management to improve reliability and
responsiveness on Saturdays between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
70’s Georgia Avenue – 7th Street Line
• Added Metro’s first weekend Metro Extra service with Saturday service in
March 2013 and Sunday service in December 2013 on Route 79, Georgia
Avenue Limited.
• Added trips to reduce crowding to improve performance on Route 70,
weekdays, Saturday and Sunday evenings
• Implemented headway service management to improve reliability and
respond to changing traffic and event conditions weekdays and on Saturday.
• Increased Route 74 midday and evening frequencies for greater capacity for
visitors and residents.
25
80 North Capitol Street Line
• Effected new running times on Route 80, weekdays, Saturday and Sunday to
reflect current traffic conditions and improve on-time performance.
90’s U Street - Garfield
• Added trips to reduce crowding and improve on-time performance on
Saturday and Sunday.
• Added new morning peak period trips
• Implemented headway management on Saturdays to better reflect current
traffic conditions and improve on-time performance:
A4, W5 Anacostia-Fort Drum and A9 ML King Jr Avenue Limited
• Restructured peak period service and extended the A4, W5 Anacostia – Fort
Drum to Coast Guard Headquarters.
• Increased weekday midday service on the A4, W5 Anacostia – Fort Drum line
to every 15 minutes.
• Converted A9 ML King Jr. Avenue route to Metro Extra Limited stop service,
rerouted it, and extended it to McPherson Square
W4 Deanwood-Alabama Avenue
• Added trips to reduce midday crowding and improve on time performance.
• Shortened the route to end at Deanwood and shortened the time between
buses in the midday to reduce crowding.
X2 Benning Road – H Street Line
• Effected new weekday running times to reflect current traffic conditions and
improve on-time performance.
35. What are the top 20 priority actions the District Department of Transportation could
take to facilitate bus service improvements?
Answer: Below is a list of top priority actions required by DDOT, Office of Planning
and other DC agencies to facilitate this program:
1. Provide sufficient funding to allow running-time, crowding and safety
adjustments on existing Metrobus services throughout the City to offer better
on-time performance, reduce crowding and improve customer experience.
Ridership has grown 4.2%, (last six months of 2013) without an increase in
capacity.
2. Provide approval and funding to add service to address overcrowding
resulting from the 12,000 additional students riding buses due to the DC
Students Ride Free program. Continue to support coordination between DC
Public Schools and WMATA to address student travel and behavior
management to ensure safe and incident free travel.
26
3. Provide funding for new services and additional buses to implement new
MetroExtra services on 14th Street, the 90s Line, North Capitol Street and
Rhode Island Avenue and expand existing services to meet demand. A multiyear program has been prepared with phased implementation to correlate
with growth in demand, availability of buses and completion of related
roadway projects.
4. Enforce parking and stopping regulations during all posted hours, so buses
have clear running ways and accessible stopping areas to facilitate service to
riders.
5. Plan for and construct adequate bus stops along corridors that buses share
with streetcars. The most immediate need for good stop coordination is along
H Street NE.
6. In the absence of approval for H and I Street bus lanes, develop a traffic
mitigation plan for buses before the reconstruction of K Street.
7. Continue to deploy Traffic Control Officers during periods of peak traffic and
increase the number of locations and duration of deployment to meet needs
of bus travel through the Downtown area (especially after 6PM on weekdays).
8. Working closely with Metrobus staff, prioritize, construct and retrofit designcompliant and accessible bus stops throughout the City. Correct location and
siting of bus stop shelters to ensure access by Metrobus front-door lifts,
adequate shelter capacity, safe waiting areas and accessible pathways.
Make an upgrade of bus stops on K Street NW a top priority.
9. Implement transit priority bus lanes and signalization coordination along
corridors with implementation on Georgia Avenue (TIGER project), “Eye”
Street NW and H Street NW between 13th and Pennsylvania Ave. and TDM
measures
10. Remove the current bus lane marking on 7th and 9th Streets NW. Restoring
dedicated left-turn lanes will improve southbound bus movements through the
Gallery Place/Archives area on 7th Street NW.
11. Implement intersection and traffic operations improvements identified in the
Priority Corridor Study recommendations.
12. Ensure that Office of Planning include bus stop and bus-friendly design
treatments in new development requirements and streetscape, sidewalk and
urban forestry projects and community enhancement efforts. It is critical that
if buses are to serve the community, they must be able to do so safely,
reliably and efficiently.
27
13. Mitigate the effects of road construction projects on bus operations, both
while under construction and upon completion through early and close
coordination and recognition of the extreme impact on the customer/residents
that some of these projects have on bus services that must pass through
them.
14. The closure of the Columbus Circle bus facility at Union Station has displaced
Metrobus routes to the surrounding streets. A permanent plan for
accommodating these relocated services must be developed and
implemented to provide a bus transit hub for Metrobus, Circulator and other
services to this growing area. WMATA has proposed creation of a station
along E Street NW to serve Metrobus and Circulator, but the ROW is
controlled by the Architect of the Capitol.
15. Recommendations for enhancing bus stops at Gallery Place should be
implemented to address the unique needs of these highly used transfer and
destination bus stops on all four corners of H Street NW and 7th Street NW.
16. Metrobus staff is completing an On-Street Bus Terminals Study with
recommendations for enhancing the design, facility and capacity of terminals
in the Downtown area to better accommodate current bus traffic and provide
needed capacity for future service enhancements.
17. Encourage MPD officers to work closely with MTPD to increase the number of
uniformed officers on buses and engaged in community policing activities to
ensure a safe and secure environment for Metrobus passengers both on the
buses and at bus stops.
18. Work with WMATA’s Office of Emergency Management and Metrobus staff to
better coordinate emergency response strategies to large scale events and
service disruptions. Crowd control, service access and traffic operations are
critical components to event responses that are often not as successfully
executed as expected by the public.
19. WMATA created a “TOP 10” list of PCN corridor segments for bus priority
improvements and it is requested that DDOT prepare strategies to implement
improvements or address mitigation of the impacts of these recurring chokepoints.
20. DDOT is one of the regional partners awarded over $58.8M in TIGER I
competitive funds for priority bus transit in the Capital Region – the 6th largest
award in the nation and the largest award for bus services. Of this, over
$16M is awarded to bus priority investments in the District of Columbia for
implementation including real-time bus arrival signage, transit signal priority
systems, signal optimization, uninterruptable power supply for signals, curb
extensions and other facility improvement, and a dedicated bus segment on
28
Georgia Avenue. Completion of these projects as envisioned by DDOT staff
is critical to realizing the benefits to Metrobus. The investments will be along
the following corridors:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Georgia Avenue NW,
Wisconsin Avenue/M Street NW
Pennsylvania Ave SE
16th Street NW,
14th Street SW/NW,
H Street NW-NE/Benning Road
The corridors leading to and from the T.R. Bridge to K Street NW
(18th and 19th and E Street NW)
36. Please provide the number of bus stops by jurisdiction, broken down by whether
they are managed by WMATA or the jurisdiction. How many are designated as
inaccessible or in need of improvements? What efforts has WMATA taken in FY’13
and FY’14 to date to make the stops more accessible?
Answer:
Summary of Metrobus Stops and Shelters
Jurisdiction
Bus
Stops
DC
Maryland
Virginia
TOTAL
3,247
4,833
3,240
11,320
Bus
Stop
Info
Cases
4,995
1,575
855
7,425
Bus
Shelter
Maps
Jurisdiction
Owned Bus
Shelters
713
174
111
998
663
765
525
1,953
WMATA
Owned
Bus
Shelters
77
270
243
590
Number of
Inaccessible
Stops
Percent
Inaccessible
1,012
2,041
1,841
4,894
31.17
42.24
56.81
43.22
There are 412 stops at Metrobus facilities at Metrorail Stations included in these
figures.
Definition of an Accessible Bus Stop
1. The stop provides for a firm landing surface (preferably all-weather) for the
pedestrian to step and walk upon;
2. The firm landing area is at least a 5-ft wide by 8-ft deep to facilitate entry/exit
of the bus via lift or ramp;
3. The firm landing surface is continuous from the back of the curb and connects
to a sidewalk (if available); and
4. An accessible curb ramp is available at the corner nearest to the bus stop
with a matching curb ramp at a minimum of one adjacent corner to facilitate
crossing the street.
What has WMATA done to increase accessibility?
• Improved 14 bus stops as part of TIGER and Bus Stop Improvement Program
during CY2013.
29
•
•
•
•
Cooperated with the District to support local efforts to make 101 stops ADA
compliant.
Shepherded bus customers to more accessible stops along the East Capitol
Street Line Route 96, 97 by eliminating 22 unused and poorly facilitated stops
(out of 186 stops) through a bus stop consolidation project.
Completed the design to improve the bus stop at Eastern Avenue and
Jamaica St, NE and issued a construction task order.
Constructed an ADA compatible ramp at the Friendship Height Station.
What has WMATA done for stops that are in need of improvement?
• Completed an asset improvement study that details bus stops and prioritized
the locations by degree of need.
• Completed a region wide “love your bus” campaign to evaluate, prioritize and
complete bus stop improvements under the Livability Grant Program.
• Installed 624 flags and poles in the District, of which 519 were to enhance
customer safety.
• Completed 146 repairs to enhance customer safety.
37. Please provide the status of efforts to deploy new on-board equipment for the
NextBus system on the bus fleet.
Answer: The project to consolidate and update on-board equipment was completed
by October 1, 2013 on all 1507 buses in the Metrobus fleet. This project improves
the performance and reliability of a host of data collection, generation and reporting
through new software and equipment upgrades to support:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Destination sign readings
Audio announcements
GPS position reporting (supports Next Bus and service monitoring)
Provides expanded communication capacity
Maintenance Management System
Automatic passenger counters
38. What is the status of the procurement of the transit signal optimization project,
including the schedule for installation on WMATA buses?
Answer:
• The contract amendment notice to proceed for the final system design and
equipment specification was issued in December and work is proceeding in
conjunction with DDOT staff to complete related procurement requirements for
supporting way-side equipment.
• The on-board equipment project in #37 provides all the necessary capabilities for
the bus to generate a signal priority request. A simple software update will be
required for those buses designated for priority MetroExtra services.
30
•
Prototype evaluation and system compliance testing will take place this spring to
confirm all performance requirements prior to beginning of full deployment later in
the calendar year.
39. What is the status of the procurement for real-time information display at bus stops?
Answer:
• The contract for this project was awarded to Luminator, Inc. in October 2013.
• Design detailing and engineering requirements specific to shelters in the District
of Columbia and other jurisdictions is being addressed and completed.
• Prototype evaluation and system compliance testing will take place this spring to
confirm all performance requirements prior to beginning of full deployment later in
the calendar year.
• A study to assess current site conditions and availability of electrical power is
currently being conducted to guide the final deployment plan.
• Installation at some shelters is anticipated during CY2014.
40. What is the status to improve bus service for the Fort Lincoln neighborhood?
Answer:
• In 2012, WMATA took to public hearing a package of route changes in
anticipation of the Dakota Crossing Shopping Center opening. Plans were tabled
when the anticipated opening of key roadways was postponed.
• WMATA staff have (and continue to) meet with residents of the Fort Lincoln
neighborhood to discuss and anticipate future service changes
• Service to the COSTCO is waiting for the opening of Commodore Joshua Barney
Drive pending DDOT and developer completion of the roadway.
41. What is the status to improve bus service on the 16th Street corridor? Specifically,
have new supervisors been hired and assigned to monitor and improve service?
What additional bus service has been added or is planned for FY’13 and FY’14?
Answer:
• In March 2013 Metrobus added nine southbound bus trips on the 16th Street
Line in order to provide additional capacity to reduce crowding during the
morning rush period. These nine trips start at 16th & Harvard Streets and
end at the McPherson Square Metrorail Station at 14th & I Streets. The trips
are scheduled to run every 13 minutes starting at 7:30 a.m. to 9:14 a.m.
These trips were set up to cover only the southern portion of 16th Street
because riders at those stops were regularly being passed up by buses which
were already full. With this extra service, Routes S1, S2, S4, and S9
combined have a total of 42 trips passing 16th & U Streets in the peak hour of
8 to 9 a.m., which is an average of a bus every 1.4 minutes.
•
With regard to results, the number of complaints about being passed up by
full buses has declined, although pass-ups have not been totally eliminated.
31
We continue to experience crowding on this line because ridership in recent
years has been growing as fast as we have added service. Some of the
crowding is the result of uneven intervals between buses due to variable
traffic conditions. We have been advocating for a dedicated bus lane on 16th
Street to improve service reliability and on-time performance. In order to
further address crowding, we have recently deployed 60-seat articulated
buses in place of standard 40-seat buses on selected S1 and S2 trips to
increase capacity. In Fiscal Year 2015 WMATA is reviewing plans to transfer
articulated buses from other lines to increase capacity. Additional highcapacity buses will be required on a number of corridors in the central NW
portion of the City in the future to keep pace with demand.
•
Headway Service Supervisors and Service Managers for the On-Time
Performance Center are currently being recruited to support Active Service
Management and Headway Service Management strategies the employed to
address crowding, bunching, gaps and roadway detours and interruptions.
32
IX.
MetroAccess
42. What steps has WMATA taken to achieve service improvements and efficiencies for
MetroAccess in FY’13 and FY’14 to date?
Answer: In March 2013, WMATA made a major course change in the management
of its 600-vehicle paratransit service, MetroAccess. Five new contracts were
awarded totaling more than $1 billion in expenses over a 10-year performance
period, and the work, previously operated by a single contractor, was recast into
three separate areas of responsibility with costs unbundled and performance
standards enhanced. WMATA introduced the new service providers into the system
incrementally, and the result was a rare, seamless transition that did not generate
any increase in complaints or draw any adverse media coverage.
WMATA determined to change its business model to achieve sustainability through
a performance-based set of contracts that would yield greater efficiency and agility
for the Authority to manage the ever-increasing demand for paratransit service.
Having doubled in size since 2006, MetroAccess now provides over two million
passenger trips each year. Although its award-winning travel training and eligibility
certification processes have reversed the growth of paratransit ridership in recent
years, the return of ridership increases was inevitable, and WMATA sought to
incorporate the most innovative methods to meet paratransit demand within its
means.
The new model is a departure from the prevailing practice of having a single prime
contractor oversee all operations and is designed to: (1) improve service quality by
leveraging competition among private-sector firms and providing WMATA with the
agility to add or change individual contractors according to the operational need; (2)
produce savings through unbundling expenditures and leveraging public agency
advantages such as tax-exempt status for consumables and long-term stability for
infrastructure investments; (3) promote opportunities for greater participation,
especially for small businesses, in which they can grow through direct interaction
with the transit agency as opposed to the more common subcontractor role; (4)
establish separate performance-based contracts for functions that have competing
priorities, such as trip scheduling and operation of those trips; (5) achieve greater
performance outcomes via significant shared (and customized) performance
incentives and disincentives applicable to all contractors, and administered by
WMATA oversight; and (6) establish a separate and more transparent quality
assurance function that can provide a more objective view of performance and
identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
The construction of the new model began in 2011 with extensive industry research
and an exhaustive stakeholder vetting process that included customers, advocacy
groups (hosted by WMATA’s own Accessibility Advisory Committee), peer transit
agencies, and transportation management firms. The stakeholder groups expressed
33
their appreciation for being afforded the opportunity to provide feedback prior to
WMATA issuing a solicitation, and at WMATA’s pre-proposal conference, staff
outlined the aspects of the solicitation that were inspired by the meaningful input
obtained from the various stakeholder groups.
WMATA’s five contractors are: Veolia Transportation, First Transit, and Diamond
Transportation (Service Delivery, with 50/35/15 percent of the market share,
respectively); MV Transportation (Operations Control Center); and MTM (Quality
Assurance). They are managed by WMATA’s contract compliance staff and colocated with the Control Center and Quality Assurance teams. The contracts started
on July 1, 2013 for a five-year base period with one five-year renewable option.
Additionally, the following improvements and efficiencies were also introduced:
• Incorporated a more stringent Excessively Late Trip performance standard
(reduced from 30 to 20 minutes) in the MetroAccess contracts in response to
feedback from customer satisfaction surveys;
• Replaced 138 MetroAccess fleet vehicles on-time and on-budget;
• Completed a study to improve regional coordination of specialized transportation
services, generating an action plan for service alternatives to MetroAccess for
human service agencies that are less costly and more effective in meeting
customer needs. This will result, over time, in greater capacity and sustained
good performance on MetroAccess; and
• Conducted Severe Weather Tabletop Exercise to ensure readiness and
preparations by department leadership, MetroAccess staff and new paratransit
contractor management for severe weather season.
43. What is the status of the pilot project in the District to provide more Access trips via
taxi cabs?
Answer: WMATA is ready to proceed with implementation, planned for April 2014.
The final steps toward implementation are awaiting resolution from District decision
makers on what source of funds will be used to cover the initial costs of the project.
A memorandum of understanding has been drafted and reviewed by both parties
and includes a donation of 13 MetroAccess accessible (retired) vehicles.
In WMATA’s recent public hearings, many District residents cited their need for
affordable transportation to dialysis – this program would serve that need.
44. Please describe WMATA’s efforts to make rail and bus services more accessible
and user-friendly for the disabled community in FY’13 and FY’14 to date. Has
WMATA been able to document greater usage of the fixed route system by such
riders as a result?
Answer: Metrorail and Metrobus have been fully accessible to the Washington
region for some time, but the most accessible transit services can still be
inaccessible if customers do not know about the service or are unable to navigate to
it. Through demand management initiatives, promotion of free rides for conditionally
34
eligible MetroAccess customers, and a robust travel training program which provided
customized training to more than 2,600 people last year alone, more than 1 million
trips on Metro’s accessible bus and rail services were taken again last year.
Other efforts by WMATA include:
•
•
•
•
•
Developed a metric to document cost avoidance savings as a result of fixed route
usage by MetroAccess-eligible customers. For FY13, the cost avoidance savings
totaled more than $1 million;
Continue coordination with jurisdictions on accessibility improvements to select
bus stops in the region;
Partnered with Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind to begin development of a
virtual mapping application to assist customers who have low vision traverse
Metrorail stations;
Assigned funding for bumpy dome tile installations at all remaining Metrorail
stations; and
Assigned funding for lighting improvements on the mezzanines of 46 stations.
45. What is the current status of web- and phone-based reservation systems that allow
customers to consider their options by cost and time of departure? If they are not
operational, when do you anticipate them being so?
Answer: The MetroAccess Fare Calculator was deployed in May 2013, and
provides the lowest fare within a 30 minute window around the customer’s requested
pickup time, while still adhering to Metro’s fare policy. The calculator automatically
provides the lowest fare to all customers via reservations. This has also streamlined
the process and kept call length within expected levels. Customers are reporting
positive results and the average fare has been reduced from $5.01 to $4.71.
46. Please describe the status of the procurement of a new MetroAccess provider
contract.
Answer: All five prime paratransit contracts have been awarded and are in full
execution (beginning July 2013). There are now three contractors performing
Service Delivery (Veolia, First Transit and Diamond Transportation) and one
contractor each for the Operations Control Center (MV Transportation) and Quality
Assurance components (MTM Transportation).

What, if any, hurdles were faced as part of the transition process?
Answer: The transition was a significant undertaking, as it involved moving from
a single brokerage model (where multiple local subcontractors perform for a
prime contractor that reports to WMATA oversight) to a multi-prime contractor
model (where five prime contractors responsible for various operational
components report directly to WMATA oversight). The challenges involved
included:
35
•
•
•
•
•
Implementation and execution of 5 prime contracts simultaneously (3 Service
Delivery, Call Center and Quality Assurance);
The vetting and acclimation of over 1,500 personnel (operators, dispatchers,
reservationists, schedulers, quality assurance monitors, maintenance, safety
personnel and project managers, etc.);
A three-tiered inspection system and reassignment of over 600 revenue and
non-revenue MetroAccess vehicles to new and existing garages;
The simultaneous phasing in of new taxi providers and phasing out of nondedicated service providers; and
The functional separation of call center operations from street operations in
order to foster specialization and improved efficiency.
Because of thorough planning, the transition was executed seamlessly, without
any increase in customer complaints or negative media coverage. This rarely
happens in the paratransit industry, especially with large scale operations.

What customer service improvements and budget savings have occurred or
do you anticipate as a result of the new contract?
Answer:
• Achieved better financial results through competitive procurement resulting in
only a 2% increase in rates. Across the industry it is commonplace for there
to be a 30% increase in rates when new contracts are awarded;
• Through effective program management of the transition of the contracts;
Access Services is favorable to budget FY 14 YTD (5.56%).
• Call Center and Street Operations functions were split to foster increased
specialization, enhance operational agility, and achieve better results and
maximize operational efficiencies;
• Three service delivery contractors with regional and/or national stature in the
field of contract transportation bring industry best practices to the contract;
• New independent quality assurance component that objectively measures the
functional performance of street operations, call center, and customer service;
and
• Stricter performance standards for contractor reliability via significant, shared
and customized incentives/disincentives administered by WMATA.
47. Please provide customer service survey results for FY’13 and FY’14 to date. What if
any causes does WMATA attribute for trends in this data? What solutions does
WMATA have to address customer concerns expressed in the survey?
Answer: Customer satisfaction with Metrorail was on target last year at 82%. Rider
satisfaction is driven primarily by service reliability, which was an underlying
improvement. Customer satisfaction also reflected an improvement in customer
interactions with station managers. When compared to the same time last year,
customers note higher satisfaction levels with the approachability, knowledge and
courtesy of station managers. The biggest increase last year was a 10% jump in the
36
first quarter of the fiscal year, consistent with the change in practice for all station
managers to remain outside of their kiosk during peak periods. Additionally,
supervisors and station managers also undertook customer service training as part
of the “HEART” initiative.
Customer satisfaction with Metrobus last year was just below target at 81%. The
decrease of 2% was driven primarily by a concern about cleanliness at bus stops
and on buses. Rider focus groups have further pinpointed those concerns to be
about trash at bus stops, especially food wrappers and beverage spills, as well as
older buses in the fleet that appear more worn.
Satisfaction with Metrobus is also driven by customer interactions with bus
operators. When compared to the same time last year, customers note higher
satisfaction levels with the approachability, knowledge and courtesy of bus
operators. The biggest increase was seen in the knowledge (81% in Q1 FY13 to
90% in Q1 FY14) of the bus operators. The improved interactions scores are
consistent with the roll out of “We Care” customer service training for all bus
operators and supervisors.
48. How many requests for shuttle service as a result of broken escalators and elevators
did WMATA receive in FY’13 and FY’14 to date? What was the average response
time?
Answer: We received 358 requests in FY13 and 57 requests to date in FY14. The
average for shuttle service for the period of January 2, 2013 thru December 30,
2013 was 13 minutes. The average for shuttle service from December 30 thru
January 31 was 14 minutes.
37
X.
Metrorail Parking
49. Provide the usage rates for FY’13 and FY’14 for all WMATA-owned parking
garages?
Answer: See Attachment #49
50. What is WMATA doing or considering to promote the use of underutilized garages?
Answer: PARK has installed banners in prominent locations in stations advertising
daily and reserved parking at Metro stations. Targeted email blasts and social
media have been used identifying parking availability at underutilized Metro parking
facilities. PARK will be installing banners strategically at underutilized Metro
garages to advertise parking availability.
51. What is the status of the study to consider improvements and find efficiencies in the
parking program?
Answer: WMATA has engaged a parking consultant to conduct a parking strategy
and asset management study for its parking facilities. The scope of that study
includes:
•
•
•
•
•
Assessment of parking replacement impacts
Analysis of design criteria best practices
Asset management assessment of Metro parking facilities
Analysis of Public Private Partnerships (P3)
Analysis of shared parking best practices
38
XI.
Planning and Real Estate
52. Please provide the pipeline of joint development projects being actively pursued on
WMATA land, including:
 The location and size of property;
 The development team;
 The deal structure (including sale v. lease, compensation amount, and intended
scope of uses);
 The WMATA staff responsible for managing each project; and
 The expected completion date for execution of the development agreement and
construction (identifying multiple phases if any).
Answer: See Attachment #52
53. What is the status of negotiations with the General Services Administration to locate
federal agencies at WMATA joint development projects under the previously
negotiated MOU?
Answer: WMATA signed the MOU with GSA in February 2012. Discussions began
in earnest in August 2012 with WMATA presenting to GSA potential sites across the
entire region that could accommodate potential GSA office space. These
discussions continued, with GSA evaluating the potential sites and ultimately
narrowing down to one site for their first tenant requirement. In the spring of 2013,
WMATA executed an amendment to the original MOU establishing terms for GSA to
acquire property at Branch Avenue Metro Station. Negotiations will advance upon
GSA’s identification of a tenant for this property.
54. What efforts has WMATA made in FY’13 and FY’14 to date to review and update its
joint development policies and guidelines?
Answer: WMATA updated its Joint Development Policies and Guidelines in July
2013. We are continuing to identify opportunities to enhance and streamline the
Policies and Guidelines and we anticipate an additional revision to the Policies
before the end of FY’14.
55. What efforts has WMATA made in FY’13 and FY’14 to date to include affordable
housing in its joint development projects?
Answer: As part of the update to the Joint Development Policies and Guidelines
described above, WMATA has adopted an affordable housing policy which requires
developers of WMATA-owned property to comply with the affordable housing
requirements of the jurisdiction in which the property is required.
39
56. What are the budgeted and actual expenditures and revenues attributed to the joint
development program in FY’13 and FY’14 to date?
Answer: The joint development program is managed by WMATA’s Office of Real
Estate and Station Planning. The budget for the Office was $3.67 million in FY’13
and $3.71 million in FY’14. WMATA received revenues of $6.6 million in FY’13 and
$3.80 million through the first six months of FY’14 to date.
57. What performance measures and procedures does WMATA use to gauge the
effectiveness of its planning and real estate efforts?
Answer: WMATA measures the effectiveness of its planning and real estate efforts
against the following sets of criteria:
•
•
•
Adherence to the WMATA Joint Development Policies and Guidelines
Adherence to FTA Guidelines
Support for and achievement of Momentum Strategic Plan Goals and
Objective
58. Describe the major hurdles for implementation of the Momentum strategic plan?
What achievements have been made in the implementation effort in FY’13 and
FY’14 to date?
Answer: Culminating in a two-year planning effort involving unprecedented public
input, the Board of Directors on June 27, 2013 adopted Momentum, the first such
Board-driven strategic plan in 11 years. In addition to adopting the plan, the Board
committed to securing regional agreement on advancing and funding the Metro 2025
portion of the Momentum plan, which includes: eight-car trains during rush hour;
improved access and passenger flow at high-volume rail transfer stations; new
underground pedestrian connections between select stations; improved bus service
with the Priority Corridor Network; and upgraded customer communications
systems.
Regional support has since grown to include endorsements of more than 60
organizations and jurisdictions, and more than 3,000 individuals. In fact, the DC
Council was among the first jurisdictions to pass a resolution declaring its support of
Momentum “with money and coordinating efforts.” Other endorsements have come
in from the Board of Trade, Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,
DC Chamber of Commerce, Destination DC, George Washington University, and
area Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) such as the Golden Triangle and
Georgetown.
40
Implementation of Momentum requires a renewed commitment to the regional
partnership that allowed the National Capital Region to build, and rebuild the Metro
system. Metro and its board members are actively working with the jurisdictions to
identify funding options for Metro 2025. At this time, there are no obstacles to be
identified.
41
XII.
Information and Technology
59. Please describe how WMATA is currently using its website and social media to help
fulfill its mission.
Answer: WMATA’s website serves as a crucial information portal to riders and
stakeholders. The most visited features of www.wmata.com are the trip planner,
service maps and real-time train/bus arrivals. This past year, www.wmata.com
gained a redesigned and refreshed counterpart for today’s mobile smartphones with
touch-screen navigation. The refreshed mobile site includes a handful of new
features including Service Nearby (determined with GPS), News, Elevator Status
information and the ability to one-touch call to Metro Transit Police. WMATA also
launched www.silverlinemetro.com to educate and update customers on the
upcoming Silver Line.
WMATA uses Twitter as a platform to provide both corporate news and service
information. Regular rider engagement occurs on both Facebook and Twitter. We
also host over 70 informational videos on YouTube and launched a new “text tips”
service for riders to notify Metro Transit Police of non-emergency matters.
60. Please identify all electronic databases maintained by WMATA, including the
following:
 A detailed description of the information tracked within each system
 Identification of persons who have access to each system, and whether the
public can be granted access to all or part of each system
 The age of the system and any discussion of substantial upgrades that have
been made or are planned to the system
Answer: WMATA maintains hundreds of systems of all sizes to manage our
operations. Three systems in particular including PeopleSoft, Maximo and Trapeze
represent the systems that substantially manage the major functions of WMATA and
which contain the majority of data about operations.
PeopleSoft is WMATA’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Among other
things, PeopleSoft is the tool used to manage our budgeting, financials, personnel,
procurement, payroll, accounts payable, grants, inventory, and customer relations
functions.
MAXIMO is a computerized asset maintenance system that provides asset, work,
and materials management and purchasing capabilities to help WMATA maximize
productivity and extend the life of their revenue-generating assets. It stores and
maintains data pertaining to assets, facilities, and inventory.
Trapeze has two major functions used by WMATA. The first major function is
scheduling for bus and rail, with capabilities for producing the least cost approach for
providing scheduled service. The second major function of Trapeze is to manage
42
the day-to-day bus and rail service such as operator work schedules, bus
assignments and train assignments.

Identification of persons who have access to each system, and whether the
public can be granted access to all or part of each system
Answer: We do not disclose the names of those who have access for both security
and privacy reasons. Metro IT Security (MITS) handles access control for enterprise
applications. The access provisioning is in accordance with our information security
policy for general access to systems; it is based on the principle of “need to know”
and role based access control (RBAC) process. Certain data from Maximo and
Trapeze is publically available via WMATA’s Transparent Datasets.

The age of the system and any discussion of substantial upgrades that have
been made or are planned to the system
Answer: There have been many functional areas of the information technology
infrastructure at WMATA that have been upgraded in the past couple of years.
Some representative examples of these upgrades include the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Standardization of the hardware infrastructure for cost-effectiveness,
uniformity, and enhanced support capabilities.
A server consolidation and upgrade of legacy hardware into a centrally
managed data center environment, including redundant Virtual Infrastructure.
Implementation of IBM Power 7 Servers to consolidate various models of IBM
p-series hardware into a newer platform, enhancing efficiency.
Continue to develop an Enterprise Monitoring Center which was established
for authority-wide monitoring of critical IT and non-IT systems and business
services.
Continuing to develop monitoring/alerting system which was implemented
providing the monitoring center staff and systems owners the capability to
detect fault events, assess the risks with the faults, and notify appropriate
staff.
PeopleSoft Human Capital Management system is currently undergoing an
upgrade to version 9.1 which includes redesign of time and labor, core human
resources, security and department trees as well as the addition of new
functionality including absence management and enterprise learning
management.
MTPD and IT are in the process of replacing the obsolete Computer-Aided
Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS). This project also
includes mobile reporting utilizing tablet technologies and a business
intelligence initiative, which will provide WMATA’s police with a more
complete insight regarding the safety and security of the customers, allowing
them to be both reactive and proactive.
A Contract Lifecycle Management System implementation is underway to
improve the efficiency with which contracts are sourced and managed.
43
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
MAXIMO (the maintenance transaction management system) has been
upgraded to version 7.5.
WiFi is currently being deployed across Metro facilities including rail yards,
bus garages and stations to enable mobile computing for the Metro
workforce.
Implementation of an enhanced Business Intelligence program to allow for
more comprehensive reporting capabilities.
Continued upgrades and enhancements to Metro’s SmarTrip program.
Upgrading the Mobile Device Management plan to take full advantage of the
WiFi deployment.
Implementing an asset life cycle management system.
Began the upgrade of the next generation fare collection system.
61. What is WMATA doing to work with the developer community to promote third-party
software and applications? Who is the lead staff person? How many total staff are
involved? What is the budget for FY’13 and FY’14?
Answer: WMATA is a recognized innovator in providing a public facing API service
(Application Programming Interface) and GTFS data (General Transit Feed
Specification) to supply interested third parties with the ability to utilize non-sensitive
transit data to develop online and mobile applications for public consumption. In
conjunction with BUS, RAIL, Elevator/Escalator, and GIS services, third parties have
the data necessary to provide quality services to the general public at a fraction of
the cost of in-house development. In a November 25, 2013 article in Forbes,
WMATA’s API program is cited for its business model innovation as one of
Forrester’s Top Technology Trends for 2014 and Beyond. To promote the third party
services that its API program supports, WMATA utilizes its own website and social
networking to inform Metro customers of the smartphone applications that are
available for their use. Currently, there are 42 featured applications in our App
Gallery, supporting Apple products, Android devices, Palm, Windows Phone 7, and
web applications. This is an increase of 150% from last year’s total.
WMATA currently has approximately 2200 developers from around the world who
are registered to access our API’s. That is a 57% increase from 2012’s total. Of
those, 478 developers were active users of our API service in 2013 via applications
they have developed for online use, information kiosks, and smart phones. In 2013,
there were 265M successful API requests. Daily volumes increased substantially
from 400k per day in early January to over 1M daily calls during December, which
reflects positively on the growing popularity of the services that our third party
developers are providing for our customers’ use.
62. Why does WMATA not currently provide trip data in the GTFS-realtime format?
What are the hurdles to doing so? If offered, what value might this create for
WMATA, the developer community and WMATA customers?
44
Answer: GTFS-realtime is a feed specification that pertains to real-time updates
about a transit system. This is separate from the trip data. WMATA provides realtime service alert information in GTFS-realtime.
63. How many and what percentage of riders are currently enrolled in the Smart benefits
program? Excluding the federal government, how many employers in the
metropolitan area offer Smart benefits to their employees? What is WMATA doing
to increase these numbers?
Answer: Total enrollment in SmartBenefits as of February 2014 is 250,686, and the
total number of non-government employer accounts in the metro area who offer
SmartBenefits is 3,417. On Metrorail, approximately 56 percent of trips on an
average weekday (414K out of 739K) are made by riders receiving a transit benefit
(either a direct employer subsidy or a pre-tax deduction). This share increases to
67% of trips made in the AM peak. This information comes from Metro’s May 2012
Rail Passenger Survey. Metro does not have current survey data on the percentage
of bus riders who participate in a transit benefit program. This is something that the
new regional bus survey, which will kick off in the spring of 2014, will capture. For
planning purposes, Metro has generally assumed that about ten percent of bus trips
are made by riders receiving a transit benefit. This is backed up by bus farebox data
– in November 2013 (the most recent month not affected by bad weather), 8.3
percent of bus trips were made using a SmartBenefits fare instrument.
To increase program participation several initiatives have been launched with many
more in the planning stages:
•
•
Simplified the enrollment process for new employers by providing automated
electronic replies with appropriate payment forms, thus reducing the wait time
to receive a response from staff. (January)
Developed Silver Line/SmartBenefits tent cards and promotional discs to
promote business opportunities with Metro. In addition to the distributions
that have taken place at Fairfax County and Reston chambers of commerce
events, initiatives are underway to distribute SmartBenefits information at:
o Washington Business Journal 2014 Book of Lists event (January)
o Greater Washington Board of Trade business workshop series (5
workshops during 2014)
o SmartBenefits employer seminar with Montgomery County – Silver
Spring (February). An additional seminar will be held in the Friendship
Heights – Bethesda corridor.
o Host SmartBenefits seminar in the Largo Town Center area to promote
the Silver Line and commuter benefits.
o Partner with Fairfax County to promote SmartBenefits +50. An
incentive campaign to coincide with the Silver Line opening to increase
program participation.
45
o Joint employer seminar meetings with the Dulles Area Transportation
Association
•
•
Create and install SmartBenefits filler ads in the Metro system.
To increase awareness and employee participation, SmartBenefits
information will be distributed at ‘Transit Day’ events sponsored by
employers, regional transit partners and numerous outreach events: the
Washington Auto Show, Taste of DC, Safeway Barbeque Battle, etc.
64. What are the current usage rates (as a % of trips or riders) for SmarTrip cards, as
well as weekly and monthly passes? What is WMATA doing to promote greater
usage of such fare media?
Answer:
Dec-12
Dec-13
89%
11%
88%
12%
SmarTrip Passenger Trips – Rail
88%
Magnetic Stripe Passenger Trips – Rail 12%
91%
9%
SmarTrip Passenger Trips – Bus
Cash Passenger Trips - Bus
During FY 2013, Metro’s marketing team developed several customer outreach
initiatives to promote SmartTrip usage. These efforts included direct customer
interface events at Metro stations and local retail vendors, college outreach,
business and tourism partnerships, transit advertising and social media
promotion.
The following are successfully executed smartcard promotions that required regional
strategic partnering and internal coordination to reduce paper fare media usage:
• Introduced One Day Rail and Short Trip Passes on SmarTrip (eliminated
retail paper pass sales)
• Finalized conversion of DC public schools to DC One Card
• Added Giant Food DC location for students to purchase school passes on DC
One Card
• Launched Montgomery County Ride On school and monthly passes on
SmarTrip
• Launched a SmartTrip Auto Reload marketing campaign and used high
profile transit advertising ( tile and floor graphic ads/ transit posters)
• Exit Fare minimum negative $1.50 value change rules for Smart Trip cards
• SmarTrip cards cost reduction to $2 from $5
• SmartBenefits pass pilot launch added to SmartTrip
• SmarTrip add value on bus and low balance indicator, take ones and bus
cards.
46
Marketing also partnered with several tourism and local organizations to promote
SmartTrip cards through Destination DC, the Phillips Gallery-Smithsonian Institute,
Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival, The National Zoo, The BB&T Classic, the
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Georgetown University, Madame Toussaud,
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and other organizations which all helped promote card
usage.
47
XIII. Safety & Security
65. Please provide a report on the overall safety of the Metro system.
 Compare safety statistics in FY’14 to date, FY’13, and FY12.
 What steps has WMATA taken in FY’14 to date and FY’13 to improve these
statistics?
Answer: WMATA reports its performance toward reaching the agency’s goals
through the quarterly Vital Signs Report, published since 2010 and posted online via
a Scorecard. The report is presented quarterly to the Customer Service and
Operations Committee. This report captures Metro’s system-wide performance,
providing an analysis of key performance indicators that monitor long term progress
in the strategic areas of safety, security, service reliability and customer satisfaction

Please compare appropriate categories of safety and security statistics to those
of comparable transit systems.
Answer: In 2011, WMATA conducted a baseline assessment for customer and
employee injury rates from like-sized transit agencies.
For Customer Injuries, four properties responded. The sample average was 2.6
customer injuries per one million passenger trips:
For Employee Injuries, seven properties responded. The sample average was 11.8
employee injuries per 200,000 hours worked.
In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles the injury incident rate for each
SIC code. For WMATA’s code (485 – Transit and Ground Passenger
Transportation), the incident rate in 2012 was reported as 5.0 employee injuries per
200,000 hours worked. (Source: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh.pdf, page
22).
Also please see link to Performance Indicators:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/scorecard/index.cfm
Supplemental Answer – Please see attached internal documents on the two Key
Performance Indicators (Employee and Customer Injuries Rates). Attachment 65a &
65b
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66. What has WMATA done in FY’13 and FY’14 to date to minimize customer and
employee injuries and accidents?
Answer: In conjunction with information supplied in question 65, please refer to link:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/board_docs/110713_3AQua
rterlySafetyUpdate.pdf
67. How many video cameras are currently deployed throughout the system to monitor
safety? Are there plans to deploy more and/or upgrade this technology?
Answer: We have numerous cameras for safety/security within the rail system and
plan to install additional cameras over the next 18 months. In addition to the rail
system, Metro is also installing cameras at various Metro facilities. Finally, we also
have multiple cameras on our entire bus fleet. For security reasons, we do not
publicly disclose the number or location or our cameras.
68. What steps has WMATA taken in FY’13 and FY’14 to date to improve customer
communications during service disruptions and safety and security emergencies?
Answer: Metro has completed several projects to further enhance communication
during service disruptions, including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
installed digital screens at all station entrances,
equipped station managers with radios to allow communication with Rail
Operations Control Center,
improved information sharing between Bus and Rail control centers,
continued refinement of internal processes to ensure message accuracy
and consistency across all communication channels,
initiated cross-disciplinary incident response training for selected
employees, and
Redesigned on-board informational signage to be clearer with input and
collaboration from the Riders’ Advisory Council.
In addition, Metro launched a safety awareness campaign featuring print ads, instation posters and ads on internet radio (Pandora). Subsequent research found
that the campaign was successful with high recall rates among riders (70 to 80
percent).
69. Please summarize WMATA’s fatigue management program, including:
 New efforts and initiatives in FY’13 and FY’14 to date.
 How many hours does the average employee work per week? Please provide
this data by division and Authority-wide.
 How many injuries or accidents have been identified as being caused by fatigue
in FY’13 and FY’14 to date? Please provide this data by division and Authoritywide.
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Answer: Please see the following link:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/board_docs/010914_3BFR
MSUpdate.pdf
Supplemental Answer - The average full-time hourly employee is guaranteed 40hours work per week; there are exceptions that allow for overtime due to unusual
circumstance such as weather or special events. Less than 20% of the
transportation operators exceed that amount with less than 1% exceeding 70-hours
work week.
In regards to injuries or accidents caused by fatigue, the Authority does not currently
have the ability to determine based on acceptable/valid data. However, as WMATA
moves forward with implementing the FRMS this data will be available.
70. Please provide the status of hiring and deployment for the 32 additional officers that
were to be assigned to Metrobus under the FY’13 budget. How many officers, and
what percentage of the total force, are assigned to Metrobus?
Answer: We have made significant progress in hiring the additional officers. In
addition to these officers, every K9 officer, motorcycle officer, Anti-Terrorism Team
officer and foot officer provides patrol support to the Metrobus security mission,
responding to calls for service and proactively patrolling buses and bus routes.
71. Please describe any other current or planned initiatives to improve Metrobus safety
for riders and operators?
Answer: The MTPD has the following initiatives in place:
High Intensity Target Enforcement (H.I.T.E) – these are focused operations on bus
routes and stops where higher crime is reported. We deploy and saturate routes
identified through our crime stats during a specific time frame. We deploy assets
from across all elements of the department. We encourage the respective
jurisdictional law enforcement agencies to partner with us throughout the NCR.
Operation Bus Safe – this is a TSA/DHS initiative that we participate in each quarter,
along with the entire Eastern Seaboard. Through a partnership with TSA/DHS, all
transit properties that volunteer to participate increase their posture on buses in their
respective area while augmented by TSA/VIPR Teams. A similar program is
conducted in the rail system as well that we participate in.
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MetroStat – we use s COMPSTAT base model for policing and deploying our
assets. Crime analyst identify crime trends and identify hot spots where crime is
occurring. Based on the trends and patterns MTPD deploys assets to the identified
areas/bus routes. We use a variety of tactics to include uniform or plain clothes
officers.
Blue Tide – similar to the Operation Bus Safe, MTPD coordinates with local police
jurisdictions to augment MTPD officers. Blue Tides are conducted monthly either in
the rail or bus system.
We recently launched two initiatives to improve safety and security. Customers now
have the ability to text their concerns to the police department to MYMTPD. We also
started the Respect Your Ride Campaign, which focuses on youth behavior and
outreach to improve the customer experience, as well as our young riders
experience. In addition to security tips, the program also provides safety and
awareness to our young riders. Finally, the MTPD and BTRA meet quarterly with
the DCPS Chancellor and staff to discuss security/safety.
MTPD staff participates in the Bus Local Safety Committee meetings and provides
crime data, trends, and tips to protect employees. We also created an on-line
reporting form for bus operators to report problems or security concerns on their
respective route.
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